“Combining a wealth of vivid details with a knack for narrative pacing and subtle humor, Perrottet (Pagan Holiday) renders a striking portrayal of the Greek Olympics and their role in the ancient world…It’s an entertaining, edifying account that puts a human face on one of humanity’s most remarkable spectacles.” (Publishers Weekly on The Naked Olympics )
“Brimming with humor, adventure, anecdotal tidbits, and fascinating historical information, this delightful travelogue offers a unique twist on some classic journeys.” (Booklist on Pagan Holiday )
“An appealing...mix of the zany and the arcane.” (New York Times on Pagan Holiday )
“It’s refreshing to find such an entertaining writer whose history is also meticulously researched. Perrottet’s take on the past is erudite, original and witty -- even, frequently, hilarious.” (Paul Cartledge, Professor of Classics, Cambridge University )
“Tony Perrottet’s sinfully entertaining survey of perversion.” (Salon.com )
“A terrifically funny writer; this history-cum-travelogue is as enjoyable as it is informative and twice as quirky.” (Boston Globe on Pagan Holiday )
“Required reading...a charming popular history of ancient Roman sight-seeing.” (Forbes on Pagan Holiday )
“The Naked Olympics presents the Greeks in all their glory, brutality, and vulgarity. It is a fascinating picture and popular history at its best.” (Norman Cantor, Professor Emeritus, New York University, and author of Antiquity: The Civilization of the Ancient World )
“A fascinating and often humorous look at a world long gone and the tourist culture that has grown up around it. Perrottet’s writing sparkles with descriptions of modern and ancient misadventures.” (Library Journal on Pagan Holiday )
“A whimsical trek through classical history, famous sites and arcane trivia.” (Washington Post on Pagan Holiday )
“Brimming with humor, adventure, anecdotal tidbits, and fascinating historical information.” (Booklist on Pagan Holiday )
“This lively account of the classical Olympics portrays them as “the Woodstock of antiquity,” and claims that the Games, while taken seriously, were also where Greeks gathered for a five-day debauch.” (The New Yorker on The Naked Olympics )
A long-term denizen of Manhattan, Tony Perrottet is the author of Pagan Holiday: On the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists and The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Greek Games. His irreverent yet thoroughly researched approach to history has made him a regular contributor to Smithsonian Magazine, CondÉ Nast Traveler, Outside, The Believer, National Geographic Adventure, and the New York Times, with frequent appearances on NPR radio and the History Channel, where he has discussed everything from the Crusades to the birth of disco.
